


Idiot Mantra

by equinope



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Age Swap, Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, One Shot, Pining, nerds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-24 17:35:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7517251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/equinope/pseuds/equinope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi's favorite way of ignoring the teacher is to stare at the incredibly attractive senior across the room for as long as possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Idiot Mantra

**Author's Note:**

> ha... i just rediscovered this thing that i wrote almost two years ago. at the time, i was obsessed with this dude in my physics class who i never spoke to, and when i was obsessed with people that i didn't actually talk to, i tended to put my feelings into fanfic by replacing the real people with people from my favorite shows. so that's how this little fic came to be.  
> it's kinda shit and there are probably a ton of typos, but oh well!!

He was doing it again. 

The senior's feet were tangled up with each other underneath his desk. The blue Converse twisting around on top of the green Converse, currently. He was slowly working away at his laces, the ones on his green shoe almost completely undone. The damn idiot was going to trip over them the moment he shot up from his desk when the bell rang. 

Levi glanced up at the clock, his eyebrows furrowed. They had exactly 7 minutes and 35 seconds until the heavenly buzz would release them from the infernal abyss, commonly known as AP Physics. Over the past few months, he had gotten it memorized down to the second. The teacher was unbelievably insane if she actually thought he was going to pay attention to her drone on about inertia and angular acceleration and torque for an entire hour five days a week. He'd rather walk around with a pile of dog shit stuck to the bottom of his shoe for the rest of his life. Maybe.

As he contemplated having shit shoes for eternity, Mismatched Shoe Boy's green shoe slid off the top of his blue shoe, creating the awful squeaking sound of rubber on tile. The teacher froze mid-sentence and the room was suddenly eerily silent. Every student, even the ones who were previously napping, laid their eyes on him. Levi glanced over as well from his seat in the back corner of the room. Finally, a chance to stare at the exquisite senior from physics class without being caught. His day immediately went from 'absolutely fucking awful' to only 'kinda terrible'. 

Mismatched Shoe Boy cleared his throat, looking up from his notebook through a mop of brown hair. Though Levi got a full view of his face thanks to the 'everyone must be forced to look at the teacher as she mopes up and down the aisle in the middle of the classroom' seating arrangement, he could never tell what color his eyes were. He was too far away and his hair was too long. Not that he should ever cut it. All hell would break loose if he cut his fluffy head of hair.

The teacher scolded Mismatched Shoe Boy for making inappropriate noises, to which he bowed his head in apology. He looked down at his feet and slowly slid the green shoe back on top of the blue shoe without a sound. The class gradually averted their eyes and returned back to normal. 

But Levi wanted to look for as long as he possibly could. 

He leaned his head in his palm in an attempt to cover just one of his eyes. He'd come to master the art of being 'not too obvious' in that class. He not too obviously took naps. He not too obviously daydreamed about dropping out of school and becoming a ninja. He not too obviously admired the boy with the Final Fantasy hair and the licorice legs across the room. 

Levi watched as Licorice Legs raised his head back up and pretended to pay attention to the lesson. His tan skin was flushed from embarrassment, a deep pink from his cheeks down  to his neck. It seemed to continue below his sweater, but Levi would never know for sure, of course.

He imagined that the blush spread all the way down on to his chest. He was probably so warm, with his golden and pink skin and his melted caramel hair and his thick, light grey sweater. Levi brushed his fingers against his own skin with his free hand and shivered. He was as cold as ice. He wanted to touch the boy's thin and lanky body and soak up his warmth. Above the waist, his skin was probably nice and soft and smooth, tan with splotches of pink, shining like the sun. Below the waist was probably-

Levi drew his eyes away for a moment and sighed to himself, sinking his face deeper into his palm. Damn it, he really was a pathetic, pining, little teenager, wasn't he? This boy was just a normal senior in a senior physics class,  while Levi was a junior in the same class. Levi was just a grumpy, sad, little nerd who skipped grade level classes and thought too much. Licorice Lips- or, Licorice Legs, probably didn't give a shit about him. 

Nevertheless, he found himself looking again. The boy was still watching the projection on the screen, so Levi felt it was safe to stare. This time, at his mouth. He had noticeably pink lips. It was almost like he put something on them. Levi glanced at the boy's pencil bag and noticed a red tube of Chapstick peeking out. He bit the inside of his cheek and tapped his foot a bit. The idiot probably tasted like cherries, God damn it. Maybe Licorice Lips was a suitable nickname as well. 

Then, out of no where, Licorice Lips did something completely horrifying. Right before Levi's very eyes, he bit his bottom lip. And then sucked on it. And then once he was done taking the air right out of Levi's lungs, he licked his lips. And then when he was done stabbing Levi's heart several times, he grabbed the Chapstick out of his bag and started putting it on. Once around. Twice. Three times. Levi couldn't breathe anymore. He wanted to scream. He wanted to throw up. He wanted to run out of the room and never come back. He wanted to do all three, one right after the other, while holding both middle fingers up and fucking the world. 

This mismatched, cherry-lipped, sunshine shithead was going to be the end of him.

If physics didn't rot his brains out and kill him first, this motherfucker certainly would.

Before he could start grabbing pencils out of his bag and using the poor guy's beautiful face for target practice, the bell rang. Levi was up and out the door in record time, but he still managed to catch the sound of someone tripping and stumbling into desks before the door shut behind him.

That damn dork never did tie his shoelaces.

  
  


The next day, he was doing it again. And the day after that. And the day after that. Every single 7th period class he was twisting and turning the sole of one shoe on the top of the other, biting the tip of his pencil or - God forbid - biting his lip. Did this guy not know how to keep his feet still? Was he physically not able to stop ruining Levi's life? Because it sure seemed like it was an impossible task for him. The problems Licorice Legs caused him weren't even limited to Physics class anymore. Images of him sitting in that dreaded wooden desk would flash behind his closed eyes way more often than he would like. Thoughts such as " _ I wonder what he's doing right now _ " and " _ What would he think if he saw what  _ I _ was doing right now? _ " would run through Levi's mind constantly. And he didn't even know this guy's name. He didn't know anything about him. He'd barely heard him speak above a whisper. He had to imagine what his goddamn smile looked like. Levi's thoughts were growing more and more pathetic by the day and he was getting fucking tired of it. 

 

Then one day, he’d had enough. He had a dream about the guy the night before and he could've swore he saw him throw him a smile as they passed in the hallway. His imagination was getting so vivid that the fake encounters his brain was coming up with were inspiring some kind of burning confidence in him. He was feeling impulsive - well, as impulsive as Levi got - and he needed a plan. He spilled the beans to one of his closest, and only, friends, Hanji, in a frustrated and passionate rant and they gladly helped him think up a strategy. Levi would only agree to one proposed idea - the idea that Hanji suggested as a joke.

He was going to stare at the motherfucking shithead senior until he noticed him.

 

In Physics, he executed the plan. He got in his 'not too obvious' stance, but made it slightly more obvious. He placed some paper on his desk and a pencil in his hand to make it seem like he was paying attention. And then he stared. 

He stared at his oddly colored shoes and his slender sketching fingers and his smooth collar bones peeking out from under his sweater, but mostly he stared at his face. It was his favorite face, and his least favorite face. It was the face that caused him the most trouble in life and made him question his own mind. He looked in admiration at how concentrated the guy seemed in whatever he was writing - or drawing. The more Levi glanced at his hand, the more it looked like he was sketching something with soft strokes of his pen. Levi wondered what he drew, what his mind created and what his hands put on paper. 

After a while, Levi found himself zoning out, contemplating Mismatched Shoe Boy's genes. What made him want to constantly fidget with his feet? Why did he love to wear mismatched shoes and sweaters so much? How was it possible for someone to have such smooth, warm skin? How was it possible for someone's hair to look so fluffy and voluminous? How was it possible for someone's eyes to be so goddamn fucking bright holy shit  _ his eyes _ .  _ HIS EYES.  _ He was looking directly at the cold little grump and the grump could report that Mismatched Shoe Boy's eyes were an unusual mix of blue and green and they were looking  _ right fucking at him _ . He flinched and quickly tore his eyes away, breaking the contact. 

Fuck, the plan worked. Licorice Lips had caught him staring. Levi hesitantly glanced back over in his direction, and was met, once again, with eyes he'd been dying to see for weeks. It didn't feel real. His heart was pounding so loud in his chest that he was afraid the whole school would hear it. 

The senior suddenly started patting his face and looking at Levi questioningly. It took a second for Levi to realize that he thought there was something on his face, and that that was why the junior was staring. Levi frantically shook his head, holding up his hand a little. He didn't know what to do - he hadn't really thought this though - so he touched his index finger and thumb together and made the 'okay' sign. Licorice Lips seemed to understand. He smiled faintly and ducked his head, returning to his notebook. 

Levi slouched his head in his hand and quietly sighed. He didn't know what he was thinking, or what to do next. So Mismatched Shoe Boy acknowledged his existence, now what? He looked up at the clock and found that they had about 10 minutes of class left. He looked around the room and found everyone half asleep. He peeked at the guy from between his fingers and found him looking up and back at him at the exact same time. 

Levi nearly swore under his breath. He turned and stared down at his desk, only to find himself looking back over at him minutes later.  Mismatched Shoe Boy had his head tucked down, facing his paper, but his eyes were peering up at Levi curiously, the vivid color breaking through strands of chestnut hair. Levi looked away again.

This went on for the remainder of the class - Levi sneaking glances at the boy that was changing up life as he knew it, and then the boy looking right back at him until Levi couldn’t hold the eye contact anymore. The way Licorice Lips looked at him made him feel things that he never expected to feel in school. By the end of the longest 10 minutes of his life, Levi was fidgeting in his seat, itching to go home, lock himself in his room, and rid himself of the tension that had built up in his gut. 

The moment the bell rang, Levi was out of his seat, throwing on his backpack and rushing towards the door, as usual. Unusually, there was a tap on his shoulder before he could escape. He froze in horror, expecting the teacher to be standing behind him, ready to give him hell for eye-fucking the senior with the clashing colored shoes for the entire class period instead of actually paying attention to the lesson on circuits. (Who needs circuits when you can create electricity with the right kind of eye contact?) But it wasn't the teacher. RED ALERT. It was King Fidgety Feet, in the flesh. Standing right in front of Levi. Looking down at him with his arms crossed awkwardly in front of his chest, his sweater tight in his grip and green headphones dangling out of the sleeves. His bangs hung in front of his eyes, but he didn't bother to push them away. Some part of Levi that wasn't paralyzed with fear wished that he would. 

"Hi, sorry. Okay, is there something on my face? Or in my hair?" the boy asked, worry laced in his voice.. 

“Uh, no,” Levi managed to reply.

“Please tell me if there is. I’d rather you tell me the truth than try to spare my feelings.”

“There isn’t.”   
“Then what were you looking at? Every time I looked up you were…” He paused, as if he were afraid to say the word.. “...You were  _ staring _ .” Levi glanced up from Mismatched Shoe Boy’s’ chest long enough to see the distress on his face. The way he said  _ staring _ made it sound like a sin. Maybe the plan didn’t work after all. Maybe it did the exact opposite of what he wanted it to do. He really should have thought of the possibility of scaring the guy instead of intriguing him. He should have done as Hanji suggested and complimented him on one of the many patches attached to his backpack or something.. 

People were shoving past them to get out the door now, and Levi felt like a disturbance. He quickly spat out, “Nothing. I just zoned out,” and walked out of the room. He only made it a few steps before the tapping returned to his shoulder. They were in a protrusion from the main hallway that housed the stairwell, so there were considerably less people than in the classroom. Levi felt very, very alone with the boy he’d fantasized about fucking in a janitor’s closet. He looked around and glanced to his right and - oh look, there was a janitor’s closet. He clenched his fists together and shoved them into his sweatshirt pockets.  He was going to do something he’d regret if he had to look at Licorice Lips  any longer, he just knew it. He was body was not cooperating with him today.

Nevertheless, Levi turned around and looked up at the subject of his most vivid dreams. He continued to have a hard time believing that he was actually looking back at him. 

“Tell me why you were staring at me the entire class. And don’t think I don’t notice it other days too, because I do. I want to know why,” Mismatched Shoe Boy said with shocking confidence. Levi stood in shock for a second, feeling like he just found out his whole life was a lie. 

"You... noticed?" Levi asked in surprise, his hands shaking in his pockets.

"You tend to notice when someone is staring at you from across the room. Every single day. Consistently."

Levi swore under his breath. Abort mission! ABORT MISSION! He really fucked up!

"My curiosity has been eating away at me for weeks and- and I think it finally reached the core. I-I want to know why," he persisted. "Tell me why."

"I get distracted," Levi quickly said. "I guess most of the time I just happen to zone out in your direction." It wasn't a lie, but he couldn't bring himself to tell the full truth either, now that he knew Licorice Legs saw him staring like a pervert day after day.

"You're telling me you  _ just happen _ to zone out directly on my face every single day? Just by chance?" 

"...Yes-"

"Bullshit."

"Look, I'm sorry, but I really need to get to class-"

Mismatched Shoe Boy suddenly stepped in front of him, cornering him and blocking his escape route. “School is over, isn't it?." He was so close now, their bodies inches apart, and Levi was near having a mental breakdown. He looked around frantically and his eyes landed on a teacher standing out in the main hallway.

Reverting back to elementary school instinct, Levi said much louder than necessary, "Are you bullying me?" 

The teacher glanced their way and Mismatched Shoe Boy stepped back. He crossed his arms crookedly in front of his chest again and tapped his foot to some unknown beat, sighing.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," he muttered, seeming genuine. "You should really tell me why though."

The two boys glanced at each other, and Levi noticed it was in the same way they did during class - quickly and with feeling.

Levi swallowed his facade of apathy and said, "I think you already know why." 

The guy just stared at him for a moment, but then he smirked. "Alright, possibly. But I want to hear you say it."

"Hear me say what?"

"I don't know. Why you stare at me would be a good place to start."

Levi found himself choking up again. "I-I was staring at the clock behind you."

"There is no clock behind me."

"No, not the clock. I mean, um, the computer screen. The computer screen on the teacher's desk has a clock on it."

"There is no way in hell that you can read that little clock from all the way across the room."

"But what if I can?"

Mismatched Shoe Boy hesitated for a second. "Well that would be impossible for a human, so that would make you either an alien, part bird, or a superhero. And if you were any of those, I'd have to keep you by my side forever as my alien-slash-bird-slash-super-sidekick."

"So I have to become something not human... noted." 

Mismatched Shoe Boy grinned at that and laughed. "Tell me why," he said with a smile. Levi's heart skipped a beat.

"I- I get distracted."

"You already said that one."

"You distract me. You're distracting."

"Hmm, okay. Distracting how?"

"...Beautifully distracting."

Mismatched Shoe Boy chuckled, his face growing pink. "Well, you're not so bad yourself."

Suddenly a bell rang, signaling the departure of the buses, causing both of them to jump. Mismatched Shoe Boy awkwardly laughed again and started to back away.

"We should go," he said reluctantly. 

"I guess so," Levi agreed. 

"EREN!" someone yelled from out in the main hallway. Both boys turned to look. A tall Asian girl and a slightly shorter boy with long, blonde hair stood there, waving Mismatched Shoe Boy over. The girl swung car keys around her finger impatiently. Mismatched Shoe Boy looked back at Levi, then over at them, then back at Levi again. 

"Seriously, Eren! Come on! We're gonna be stuck in traffic if we wait any longer!" the boy called. Eren (aka Mismatched Shoe Boy) began side-stepping over to them while continuing to look at Levi. 

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," he said as his friends grabbed his arms on either side and started dragging him down the hallway. Levi watched them go with a hint of a smile on his face. They were about to round a corner and go out of sight when Levi deciphered some of their bickering.

"Finally talked to him, hmm?" the boy said.

"Shut up!" Eren snapped.

"You're right. He's short.  _ Really _ short," said the girl.

"Shut up! So what if he is?!" Eren protested.

And then they were gone. 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! kudos/comments make me really happy (✿◠‿◠)
> 
> [main blog](http://sleeption.tumblr.com/) [anime blog](http://decemberseptember.tumblr.com/)  
> [writing blog](http://equinope.tumblr.com/)  
> 


End file.
